Dual clamping device

ABSTRACT

A dual clamping device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/100,885, filed Aug. 10, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional App. No. 62/565,975, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dual clamping device. Morespecifically, a dual clamping device that works in conjunction withcommonly available dovetail brackets for imaging devices and commonlyavailable accessory rails for rifles.

The Picatinny rail, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, orStandardization Agreement 2324 rail, or also generally a NATO AccessoryRail referred to as STANAG 4694, is a bracket on some firearms thatprovides a mounting platform consisting of rails with multipletransverse slots. Referring to FIG. 1, the dimensions of the NATOAccessory Rail is illustrated. The Picatinny rail is designed to mountheavy sights and other attachments to the upper, side, or lower surfacesof all manner of weapons from crossbows to pistols and long arms up toand including anti-materiel rifles. The Picatinny rail consists of astrip undercut to form a flattened T cross-section provided withcrosswise slots at intervals interspersed with flats that allowaccessories to be slid into place from the end of the rail then lockedin place; slid into the slots between raised flats then moved a shortdistance back or forth or clamped to the rail with bolts, andthumbscrews or levers. The Picatinny locking slot width is 0.206 in(5.23 mm). The spacing of slot centers is 0.394 in (10.01 mm) and theslot depth is 0.118 in (3.00 mm).

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 a NATO Picatinny DovetailAdapter is illustrated. The adapter includes a body 100 with a clamp 110that is movable with respect to the body 100. A set of three threadedscrews 120, each of which may include a countersunk head 130, isrotatably interconnected with matching threads on the body 100. Byrotation of the threaded screws 120, the clamp 110 is moved laterallywith respect to the body 100. The body 100 defines a pair of dovetailgroves 140 that fit arca-swiss style clamps.

Referring also to FIG. 5, the three screws 120 are loosened using a hexkey until the jaw is fully opened. The body 100 is installed onto therail 150 by aligning the screws with the slots in the rail. Each of thescrews 120 are lightly tightened, and then further tightened using atorque wrench. Referring to FIG. 6, with the adapter securely affixed tothe rail 150, a quick release clamp 160 may be detachably attached tothe dovetail grooves 140 to support the firearm on a tripod.

Unfortunately, when the firearm is not being used with a compatibleclamp, such as the arca-swiss compatible clamp, the shooter may desireto remove the adapter from the firearm which is a burdensome task. Also,the clamp that is detachably secured to the adapter tends to permit thefirearm to slide within the clamp if not sufficiently secured.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of theinvention may be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a NATO Accessory Rail.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top perspective view of a NATO Picatinny DovetailAdapter.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the NATO PicatinnyDovetail Adapter of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapterof FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of FIG. 2 beingattached to a Picatinny rail.

FIG. 6 illustrates the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of FIG. 2attached to a Picatinny rail.

FIG. 7 illustrates a tripod.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a clamp assembly suitable tointerconnect a dovetail plate of a camera and a Picatinny rail.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of clamp assembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 illustrates an adjustment arm of the clamp assembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 illustrates a base of the clamp assembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 illustrates a base view of the clamp assembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a clamp assembly suitable tointerconnect a dovetail plate of a camera and a Picatinny rail.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of clamp assembly of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 illustrates a view of the base of the clamp assembly of FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 illustrates a view of the adjustment arm of the clamp assemblyof FIG. 12.

FIG. 17 illustrates another view of the adjustment arm of the clampassembly of FIG. 12.

FIG. 18 illustrates another view of the adjustment arm of the clampassembly of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 7, in many situations it is desirable to have astable, yet portable, support to permit a shooter to reliably take longand extreme long distance shots (e.g., even beyond 1,000 yards). In manycases, it is desirable that the support is suitable for positioning arifle of a shooter over two feet or more from the ground, preferablyover three feet or more from the ground, and preferably at a heightconsistent with a standing position of the shooter from the ground. Bypositioning the support at an elevated height, the shooter is able toshoot over most obstacles without meaningfully compromising thestability of the system or otherwise meaningfully diminishing accuracy.One suitable type of support is a tripod that includes three legs, eachof which may be moved inward and outward along an arc from an uppercentral region. In addition, each of the legs has an adjustable lengthso that the upper region may be leveled or otherwise oriented in anydesired orientation. In addition, the upper region typically includes athreaded member, or otherwise, suitable to be attached to the base of animaging device or a ball head. An exemplary tripod is illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 8,398,037, incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. Other supports include, for example, a monopod or a bipod.

Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a clamp assembly 200 is preferablydetachably interconnected to a support or otherwise a ball head. Theclamp assembly 200 includes a body 210 (see also FIG. 11) and anadjustable arm 212 (see also FIG. 10) that together form an upperchannel 214 having upper opposed side walls 216 and 218. The upperchannel 214 may include a pair of opposing supporting surfaces, one ofwhich are part of the body 210 and/or the adjustable arm 212.Preferably, at least one of the supporting surfaces of the upper channel214 extends less than half of the width of body 210 and is preferablysubstantially centered with respect to the adjustable arm 212. The body210 may define a pair of openings 220 through which the clamp 200 may besecured to the upper portion of a tripod or other support. Referringalso to FIG. 12, the base of the body 210 may include a tongue andgroove interface to facilitate it to key the rotation of the clamprelative to a support, such as a ball head. Alternatively, the base ofthe body may include a planar surface suitable for a support having aflat upper surface. Alternatively, the base and/or the adjustable basemay define a lower pair of dovetail grooves for attachment to a suitableclamp. The adjustable arm 212 is slidably engaged along a threaded stud222 which is threadably secured to corresponding threads 224 in the body210. The threaded stud 222 is secured to internal threads of a knob 226together with a cap, together with a washer 228, and arranged through anexternal opening 230 in the adjustable arm 212. The end of the threadedstud 222 is threadably secured to the threads 224 in the body 210.Rotation of the knob 226 selectively adjusts the width of the upperchannel 214 and is accomplished through manual operation of the knob 226fastened to the distal end of the stud 222. Alternatively, theadjustable spacing may be achieved with any other suitable structure,such as a threaded fastener or a cam lever. By way of example, oneexemplary cam lever is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,773,172,incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. By way of example, oneexemplary ball head is illustrated in U.S. Patent Publication No.2006/0175482, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The knob 226, operably attached to the adjustable arm 212, permitsadjustment of the spacing between the side walls 216 and 218 so that theupper channel may selectively either grip or release a pair of groovesattached to a camera body (not shown). An exemplary set of groovesattached to a camera body is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 9,298,069,incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Each respective sidewall 216 and 218 is preferably angled upward and inward to facilitateengagement with such grooves. In this manner, photographic equipment maybe quickly engaged or released from the clamp assembly by using theupper channel.

A pair of springs 230 and 232 may be interconnected between the body 210(preferably retained in a depression) and the adjustable arm 212(preferably retained in a depression) so that an outwardly directedforce is exerted between the body 210 and the adjustable arm 212 toassist in maintaining the adjustable arm 212 in a suitable position.Other structures may be included that operably tend to exert an outwardforce on the adjustment arm with respect to the body. By way of example,the upper channel 214 may define a minimum channel that is generally amaximum of about 41 millimeters wide at the inside of the channel,generally about a minimum of 34 millimeters wide at the top of the sidewalls 216 and 218, with a height of generally about 4 millimeters, andan angle of substantially 45 degrees. Other channel sizes and structuresmay be used to correspond with the desired support structure for animaging device.

In many situations, it is desirable to remove the camera being used tocapture images of a scene from the clamp assembly and support a firearmtogether with a scope thereon to obtain a sharpened view of theparticular scene. In many cases, the firearm includes a Picatinny railon the lower surface thereof. To facilitate interconnection of the clampassembly to the Picatinny rail, the clamp assembly preferably includes alower channel, at an elevation lower than the upper channel, suitablefor detachably interconnecting with the Picatinny rail.

The clamp assembly 200 includes the body 210 and the adjustable arm 212that together form a lower channel 300 having lower opposed side walls302 and 304. The lower channel 300 may include a supporting surfacewhich is primarily defined by the body 210 and a portion of which may bedefined by the adjustable arm 212, if desired. Preferably, thesupporting surface of the lower channel 300 extends the width of body210. The adjustable arm 212 is slidably engaged along the threaded stud222 which is threadably secured to the corresponding threads 224 in thebody 210. Movement of the adjustable arm 212 selectively adjusts thewidth of the lower channel 300 and is accomplished through manualoperation of rotating the knob 226 fastened to the distal end of thestud 222. The knob 226, attached to the adjustable arm 212, permitsadjustment of the spacing between the side walls 302 and 304 so that thelower channel may selectively either grip or release one or more railsattached to the base of a firearm. Each respective side wall 302 and 304includes a portion of which is preferably angled upward and inward tofacilitate engagement with such rails. The lower channel 300 alsopreferably defines a raised central portion, which may be defined by thestud 222, which preferably has a width suitable to be positioned betweena pair of rails of the Picatinny rail. In this manner, the raisedcentral portion will tend to inhibit the clamp sliding with respect tothe Picatinny rail because the raised central portion will come intocontact with one of the rails of the Picatinny rail. Preferably theadjustment mechanism is achieved using a centered shaft, but mayalternatively be more than one centered shafts and/or one or moreoff-centered shafts. Preferably, the shaft occupies the same region ofspace as the Picatinny clamp. Alternatively, the shaft may be positionedbeneath the lower channel, if desired. As described, the shaft which ispart of the adjustment arm adjustment mechanism may be used to engagethe grooves of the Picatinny clamp to prevent shifting of the clampunder loaded conditions. Alternatively, other structures may be used forengagement with the grooves of the Picatinny clamp, such as one or morepins or protruding features. In this manner, firearms may be quicklyengaged or released from the clamp assembly by using the lower channel.

As previously described, the clamp assembly 200 with a “stationary” bodytogether with a moving adjustment arm defines the upper clamp that ispreferably compatible with Really Right Stuff™ and Arca-Swiss styledovetails. As previously described, the clamp assembly 200 with a“stationary” body together with a moving adjustment arm defines thelower clamp that is preferably compatible with the Picatinny rail. Withseparate structures at different elevations within the same clampassembly facilitates a compact clamp assembly that defines a pair ofadjustable spacing structures.

Referring to FIGS. 13-18, another embodiment includes a clamp head 400with a supporting structure suitable for a Harris style clamp for beingattached to a Harris bipod.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for selectively engaging a plate forphotographic equipment and a Picatinny rail assembly for a firearm, saidapparatus comprising: (a) a body defining a portion of an upper channelhaving a first side wall; (b) an arm defining a portion of said upperchannel having a second side wall capable of lateral movement withrespect to said first side wall suitable to detachably engage a pair ofinclined surfaces of said plate; (c) said body defining a portion of alower channel having a third side wall; (d) said arm defining a portionof said lower channel having a fourth side wall capable of lateralmovement with respect to said third side wall suitable to detachablyengage a rail of said Picatinny rail assembly; (e) wherein said upperchannel is at a higher elevation than said lower channel; (f) said bodydefining a lower surface between said third side wall and said fourthside wall; (g) said arm is slidably engaged with an elongate studextending between a base and said arm; (h) said elongate stud extendingbetween said base and said arm at a location at least partially directlyabove a plane defined by said lower surface and said stud at leastpartially located within a region defined by a perimeter of said lowersurface.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first side wall isinclined inwardly and said second side wall is inclined inwardly.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein said upper channel includes a firsthorizontal surface defined by said body.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3wherein said upper channel includes a second horizontal surface definedby said arm.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said second horizontalsurface extends less than the width of said arm.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 4 wherein said second horizontal surface is substantially centeredon said arm.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said body defines apair of vertical openings therein that extend through said body from alower surface to an upper surface suitable to secure said apparatus to asupport.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a base of said body definesa tongue and groove interface.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising an exterior surface of said apparatus defining a pair ofopposing dovetail grooves.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said armis slidably engaged with said base.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10further comprising said stud interconnected between said arm and saidbase.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said stud is interconnectedto said base with threads.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein saidstud extends through at least a portion of said arm.
 14. The apparatusof claim 11 wherein said stud is interconnected to said arm with alever.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a resilient member isoperably interconnected between said body and said arm to provide anoutwardly directed pressure on said arm.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said third side wall is inclined inwardly and said fourth sidewall is inclined inwardly.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein saidlower channel includes said horizontal surface defined by said body. 18.The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a raised portion protrudingfrom said horizontal surface suitable to be maintained between a pair ofadjacent rails of said rail assembly.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18wherein said raised portion is operably engaged with a slidably movementof said arm with respect to said body.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said arm is said slidably engaged with said stud using a lever.